The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a set of policies and dedicated funding that is intended to transform Maryland’s early childhood, elementary, and secondary education system to the levels of high–performing systems around the world. The goals of the Blueprint are to improve the quality and equity of Maryland’s education system so that every Maryland student, regardless of where they live, family income, race, ethnicity, gender, language spoken at home, special needs, and any other unique characteristic, receives a world-class education that prepares them for success in college and career. The Accountability and Implementation Board was created to ensure that the Blueprint’s goals are realized. 

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, as it was formally named in 2019, is based on the recommendations of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (known as the Kirwan Commission after its chair, Brit Kirwan). The Kirwan Commission was created by the Governor and General Assembly in 2016 (Chapters 701 and 702) to make policy recommendations to enable Maryland’s education system to perform at the level of the world’s best systems and to review and recommend updated funding formulas. The Kirwan Commission made a sweeping set of recommendations addressing ​education policy from early childhood through secondary and postsecondary education and training that, if implemented, will enable Maryland’s public schools and students to perform at the levels of the world’s best and, ultimately, enable current and future generations of Maryland’s children to be successful in the 21st century workforce that requires more skills and knowledge than ever before. For more information on the Kirwan Commission, click ​HERE.

The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation annually in 2018 through 2021 based on the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations, modifying portions of it and incorporating additional priorities and funding provisions, including dedicated funding to support the Blueprint’s implementation. Overall, the State will invest an additional $3.9 billion (45% increase)  in Maryland’s public schools by fiscal 2034 and local governments will invest at least $700 million (8% increase) over pre-Blueprint levels. For more information on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future law, click HERE.

Implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and achieving its goals will take the sustained dedication and commitment of the public and all those charged with implementing it for decades to come. The policies and funding increases in the Blueprint will be fully implemented by 2032, but the results will not be fully evident until the cohort of students entering pre-kindergarten in fall 2022 graduate from high school in 2036. However, it will be known well before 2036 whether the policies are implemented as intended, and whether student learning is continuously improving. There will be particular focus on students currently performing at the lowest levels, inclu​ding stude​nts attending schools with a high concentration of poverty, English Learners, and students with disabilities.​